HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-03-01, Page 2PAGE 2. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018.
At the Branch
Public speaking competition hosted at Legion branch
Talented Talkers
The Brussels Legion hosted its annual public speaking competition last week, featuring
students from North Woods Elementary School. Above is the Junior public speaking division
(Grades 4-6) from left: Branch Youth Chairman Nanci Ducharme, Hailey Beuermann (first
place), Marley Gaspirc (second), Lorenzo Hiebert (third), Sarah Miller (third) and Branch
President Jamie Mitchell. Below is the Primary division (Grades 1-3) from left: Ducharme,
Rowan Gaspirc (first), Payton Piper (second), Triston Piper (third), Seth Kerr (third) and
Mitchell. (Photos submitted)
By Jo -Ann McDonald
It had been a quiet weekend
around the Brussels Legion Branch,
but it had many of the usual
activities, plus the public speaking
evening. Cadets met Tuesday but the
"Fun Fitness" on Wednesday had to
be cancelled due to the public
speaking. On Thursday, the pipe
band was there and darts were
played. The weekend was the quiet
part of the week.
The public speaking night had
approximately 30 children and
parents attending to hear the
speeches. President Jamie Mitchell
welcomed all to the evening and
introduced Youth Chairman Nanci
Ducharme. There were four speakers
each in the Primary and Junior
divisions. The Primary speakers
were Seth Kerr on "Life of Me";
Tristan Piper, "Being a Goalie" and
Payton Piper, "My Brothers". The
first -place speaker was Rowan
Gaspirc, who spoke on "The Heart".
It was a great job for the students
from North Woods School.
In the Junior division, there were
four speakers. Sarah Miller spoke on
"Ranching and Agriculture";
Lorenzo Hiebert, the "NBA";
Marley Gaspirc, "Accidental
Inventions" and the winning speaker
was Hailey Beuerman with her
speech on "The Life of a Hockey
Stick".
The night was organized by Youth
Chairman Nanci Ducharme. She
thanked the teachers from North
Woods for having the students
participate in classroom speeches
and letting them choose to come to
Brussels to speak. The school does
not promote students participating in
Remembrance Day posters, essays
and poems, so we are happy to have
the children participate in speeches.
Nanci's crew included Catrina
Josling and Nicole Noble as
timekeepers, Jamie Mitchell and
Sandra Josling as scrutineers and Jo-
Ann McDonald handling entries.
Judges were Frank Stretton, Betty
Graber Watson and Trish Rimmer
MacGregor. It was a nice evening.
The first -place winners go on to
participate in Zone speaking in
Lucknow on March 3.
Congratulations to all and good luck
Weather a hot topic with flooding, snow
A NOTE FROM BETTY
By Betty
Graber
Watson
Call
887-9231
Is it any wonder Canadians talk
about the weather a lot? Water and
sun in amounts that are not familiar
to February were on our radar this
past week. Missing in the
conversations was the amount of
snow and wind that are usually part
of our February.
All you need to do is watch
television or read the daily paper to
see the elements in chaos, both near
and far. Snow in large amounts in
British Columbia, ice jams and
flooding in parts of Ontario and lack
of snow cover for us — all not part of
our traditional winter weather.
Lillian Beard had her 90th
birthday last week in Hensall United
Church where she enjoyed the
company of family and friends. You
know her as Emerson Mitchell's
sister, so lots of friends and relatives
in this area were there to help in the
celebrations of her life as an
important part of community, always
with a smile.
Part of belonging to a church
involves shared interests. Reaching
into community is part of the work
of most congregations and learning
along the way is part of it too. Many
of us live privileged lives, with
clothes and food to spare. Many in
our midst do not. At the United
Church on Sunday the efforts of the
congregation were in full view.
Socks and underpants were
displayed on window sills and
clotheslines to be forwarded to the
Women's Shelter and the Out of the
Cold program. As we viewed the
wonderful, colourful and necessary
items on display, the generosity in
the form of the undergarments was a
real reminder of share goals,
education and empathy. I'll keep the
image of the many dozes of pretty
panties hanging above the choir loft
for many years and smile.
Speech writing is one of the
learning issues for students. Public
speaking is one of the great fears in
life and with that in mind, teachers
for many years have made this
feared issue part of our children's
education. A short prepared speech
to the class helps this terror subside.
Like every other talent bud we
possess, it needs attention and effort.
With parental support and guidance,
the words are helped along and the
speech is ready for a larger audience.
This past week, the Legion hosted
eight participants who overcame
their fear and spoke well to the
audience. Like adults, the areas of
interest of the children were
fascinating, so the speeches
educated the audience with facts on
hockey sticks, brothers, concussions,
basketball, heart malfunctions,
farming to name a few. So, well
done. You can be proud that you
gave a public speech and lived. As a
fear I think it's only second to dying,
so good for the kids to get that fear
under control now.
Visits with grandchildren are
always a treat, so when the older
ones suggest a visit, I'm ecstatic.
Reading weeks for Jordan at "Mac"
Continued on page 28
atop -k, Fveir, Spvritud Pnaetieee.
As we journey through Lent, all are welcome to come and nourish your
body, mind and spirit through individual prayer practices offered
through a variety of prayer stations. Feel free to stay as little or long as
you would like for a quiet evening of spiritual nourishment.
Wednesday, March 7
4:00-7:00 pm
Brussels United Church,
Lower Level
Thursday, March 8
4:00-7:00 pm
Blyth United Church
Sanctuary
to Hailey and Rowan in future
competition.
The Thursday night darts had 14
darters at the Branch. Winners were:
first, Roger McHardy and Sheron
Stadelmann; second, John
Stadelmann and Sandra Josling
Brown; high shots, Gord Jacklin and
Roger, 121 and Penny Reynolds,
101. Darts are every Thursday night
and everyone is welcome.
Our get -well wishes go to
Comrade Dianne Huether who is
now home recovering and Comrade
Mark Campbell, who is still in
hospital.
NEWS
FROM BRUSSELS
BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED
COMING EVENTS
at the
BRUSSELS LEGION
for March
SATURDAY, MARCH 3
Euchre tournament at 1:00 p.m.
Bring your own partner.
$5.00 per person.
Cash prizes. Lunch.
SUNDAY, MARCH 4
Sunday Night Dance
from 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
$12.00 per person. Lunch.
Enjoy the music of
Crippled Duck.
SATURDAY, MARCH 17
Trivia Night at the Branch.
Play Singles, Doubles, Teams.
$5.00 per person. Cash Prizes.
Food available.
SATURDAY, MARCH 17
Euchre tournament at 1:00 p.m.
Bring your own partner.
$5.00 per person.
Cash prizes. Lunch.
SUNDAY, MARCH 18
Sunday Night Dance
from 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
$12.00 per person. Lunch.
Enjoy the music of the
Tri -Country Band.
TUESDAY, MARCH 27
General Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
SATURDAY, MARCH 31
Euchre Tournament
to be announced.
Look for this ad the
first week of the month only.
Auditorium and small
meeting room available to rent.
Catering available.
Info and general inquiries
519-887-6562 or 519-887-6570